You know how when you love someone you try to take an interest in what is important to them? You have to open up your horizons to new ideas sometimes. I've spent the last 13 years learning many new things...things I never dreamed I would one day know. All thanks to my kids.
At the beginning the obsession was superheroes. Everything was about superheroes. I learned to embrace superheroes. Then there were Bionicles. They knew everything about Bionicles, therefore, so did I. But my knowledge base was a little shaky since their names were so weird, I couldn't keep them straight like I did all the superhero names. This was the first time my confidence started to wane in keeping up to speed with their interests.
There were also smatterings of other shorter lived obsessions such as Rescue Heroes, Star Wars, and Legos. And then one day, two years ago, Yu-gi-oh walked into our lives and and has yet to leave. I thought it would be another passing fancy. Oh, but how wrong I was. I didn't realize that Gavin would memorize the rule book that was written in 6 point font and was about 100 pages long. Nor did I realize he would create a fusion table to keep track of each and every card, their "effects" (whatever that means) and their "attack" (again, clueless). Suddenly, I realize I'm old. I'm not into the new, hip things. Nor do I want to be. I'm perfectly fine being stuck in the early 2000's. I freely admit it.
For two years now, I've shoved it aside as a 'passing fancy'. I've watched the kids play only to have the whole concept go straight over my head. I figured I'm not smart enough for their little card game. I've never been more right about anything in my life.
Gavin often asks to show me his cards and tell me their 'effects'. Since this apparently means so much to him I sit and listen...but it's more like I'm listening to someone explain something to me in a foreign language. I nod and smile and act interested, but I can't for the life of me comprehend what he's saying. But since this is VERY important to him, I keep trying harder and harder to understand. The harder I try, the deeper into the hole of confusion I fall.
Then Gavin came up with the 'perfect idea'. This was his proposal, "How about we (Bennett & Me) walk Mom & Dad thru a dual - we'll like, be their Yu-gi-oh coaches and teach them to play." Awesome. Let's do it. There's no time like the present. So...we just did it. I think the pictures speak for themselves. At one point in the game Gavin says, "Use this card as tribute.....blah, blah, blah" and Chuck catches a word in there that he understands and yells emphatically, "I volunteer as tribute!" Only he and I got the joke apparently cuz we're laughing our heads off at that little movie quote (from The Hunger Games). They gave us the look like, 'get serious guys and start concentrating on what we tell you'.
When I was teaching the kids at home and I would be at my whit's end trying to explain something for the twentieth time and they still didn't 'get it', I would frustratingly say, "What is it that you don't understand?" That could possibly be one the of the dumbest questions in history because if they could explain what they don't understand, then they understand it. That little phrase is coming back to bite me now. The boys, for the life of them, just can't understand what we don't understand - which is pretty much everything. Even the names on the cards give us reason to be confused. Trust me - this game is not for the faint of heart. You have to have an excellent memory, be awesome at strategy and be very, very patient. I possess none of those qualities, therefore I'm a horrible candidate for this game.
At the beginning the obsession was superheroes. Everything was about superheroes. I learned to embrace superheroes. Then there were Bionicles. They knew everything about Bionicles, therefore, so did I. But my knowledge base was a little shaky since their names were so weird, I couldn't keep them straight like I did all the superhero names. This was the first time my confidence started to wane in keeping up to speed with their interests.
There were also smatterings of other shorter lived obsessions such as Rescue Heroes, Star Wars, and Legos. And then one day, two years ago, Yu-gi-oh walked into our lives and and has yet to leave. I thought it would be another passing fancy. Oh, but how wrong I was. I didn't realize that Gavin would memorize the rule book that was written in 6 point font and was about 100 pages long. Nor did I realize he would create a fusion table to keep track of each and every card, their "effects" (whatever that means) and their "attack" (again, clueless). Suddenly, I realize I'm old. I'm not into the new, hip things. Nor do I want to be. I'm perfectly fine being stuck in the early 2000's. I freely admit it.
For two years now, I've shoved it aside as a 'passing fancy'. I've watched the kids play only to have the whole concept go straight over my head. I figured I'm not smart enough for their little card game. I've never been more right about anything in my life.
Gavin often asks to show me his cards and tell me their 'effects'. Since this apparently means so much to him I sit and listen...but it's more like I'm listening to someone explain something to me in a foreign language. I nod and smile and act interested, but I can't for the life of me comprehend what he's saying. But since this is VERY important to him, I keep trying harder and harder to understand. The harder I try, the deeper into the hole of confusion I fall.
Then Gavin came up with the 'perfect idea'. This was his proposal, "How about we (Bennett & Me) walk Mom & Dad thru a dual - we'll like, be their Yu-gi-oh coaches and teach them to play." Awesome. Let's do it. There's no time like the present. So...we just did it. I think the pictures speak for themselves. At one point in the game Gavin says, "Use this card as tribute.....blah, blah, blah" and Chuck catches a word in there that he understands and yells emphatically, "I volunteer as tribute!" Only he and I got the joke apparently cuz we're laughing our heads off at that little movie quote (from The Hunger Games). They gave us the look like, 'get serious guys and start concentrating on what we tell you'.
Chuck got the special playing field. For those of you unacquainted with Yu-gi-oh terms, that would be the thing the cards are sitting on. Mine are sitting on plain old carpet. Chuck is actually trying to read the card, why, I don't know when you have a coach beside you who has it memorized and is trying to tell you what to do with it. Chuck is under the impression that he has to understand the 'whys' of the game before he can play. I on the other hand have learned how to fake it really well.
This is one of Chuck's many looks of utter confusion and cluelessness.
This is me laughing at the hilarious "tribute" comment.
Here I am contemplating advice Bennett is giving me.
Gavin is laughing at Chuck's complete incompetence and lack of understanding. He just can't understand what we don't get.
When I was teaching the kids at home and I would be at my whit's end trying to explain something for the twentieth time and they still didn't 'get it', I would frustratingly say, "What is it that you don't understand?" That could possibly be one the of the dumbest questions in history because if they could explain what they don't understand, then they understand it. That little phrase is coming back to bite me now. The boys, for the life of them, just can't understand what we don't understand - which is pretty much everything. Even the names on the cards give us reason to be confused. Trust me - this game is not for the faint of heart. You have to have an excellent memory, be awesome at strategy and be very, very patient. I possess none of those qualities, therefore I'm a horrible candidate for this game.
